Protective mechanism



J. F. COLLINS. PROTECTIVE MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED AUG.30, 1920.

Patented Apr. 12, 1921.

, INVENTOR WITNESS mars!)- STATS- JAMES F. COLLINS, 0F swIssvALn BonoueH, PENNSYLVANIA.

PROTECTIVE MEcHAN'IsM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 12, 1921.

Application filed August 30, 1920. Serial No. 407,030.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatl, JAMES F. COLLINS, a citizen of the United States, and residing in the borough of Swissvale, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented or discovered new, useful, and Improved Protective Mechanism, of which the'following is a specification. 7

My invention consists in a new and improved protective device for banks and other places of business wherein money or other valuables are exposed to view.

Thus, for instance, the paying teller of a bank has during business hours relatively large amounts of money on his counter protected usually only by the metal caging with which banks are provided. Instances are not rare where banks and other places of business have been robbed by supposed customers suddenly pointing firearms at the teller and compelling him to throw up his hands or to pass out the money or valuables displayed. The object which I have in view is the provision of means whereby the money or valuables displayed may be protected and such unlawful taking prevented.

Generally speaking, my invention consists of a safe, preferably located at one side of the tellers window, and provided with an opening in its top through which upwardly extends a cage preferably closed at its back and sides with metal bars or lattice and provided with a solid top and bottom, said-top being made of safe steel and of proper di- 'mensions to fit in the opening of the safe I "when the cage is dropped. When the cage is raised, its bottom, which may be of wood or other material to match the permanent counter, is above or flushwith the top of the safe and forms the .money board or counter upon which the money or other valuables are placed.

Means are provided for holding the cage in its raised position which means are releasable by the teller or other clerk, who,-

when an attack is made, steps on a foot treadle or otherwise operates the release in an inconspicuous manner. Thus, the cage is caused to drop within the safe, so that it cannot be raised or its contents reached until the door in the front of the safe, guarded by a suitable combination or time lock, is opened.

Means are provided for locking the cage in its dropped position, so that no prying Or other attempts from above will result in raising the cage.

Means are also provided for automatically locking the cage in its dropped position, sald locking means being provided with release mechanism which can only .be gotten'at by first unlocking the safe door.

I also provide automatic alarm means,

preferably of the audible type, for giving notice of the attack, either generally in the banking room orvat the policeor protective headquarters. 7

Other novel features of construction'and arrangement of parts will appear from the following description.

In the accompanying drawings, which are however merely intended to illustrate principles of my invention without limiting the scope of the same, Figure l is a' front elevation showing the safe and the cage w1th the latter raised into its elevated posltlon; Fig. 2 1s a vertical section of the same taken along the line IIII in Fig. 1

of the safe-is provided with an'o-pening 3,

preferably rectangular, and also preferably having its edges concavedly curved as shown.

B is a cage whose solid top 4 is of safe steel andof proper dimensions to fit snugly into the opening 3 inthe top of the safe A.

when the cage is dropped, the edges of the cage top 4 being convexedly curved to fit snugly into and seal with the edges of the opening 3. Thus no tool can be inserted to pry up the cage top, and obstructions will be forced aside and will not jam the cage when closing.

The bottom 5 of the cage B is of proper dimensions to pass through the opening 3, and said bottom 5 may be of metal or other material to match the bank furniture. When the cage is raised said bottom 5 is above or flush with the top of the safe, said safe being preferably of proper height to level with the permanent counter.

The sides .6 and the back 7 of said cage lever '13 and the lever 11 into and hold them in their raised positions, and thus tendmg are preferably made of crossed metal bars engage the under side of the cage and support the latter in its elevated position, or may be withdrawn outwardly to permit the ca e to drop down into the safe.

' cans are provided, workable from without the safe and preferably by the foot of the'teller or other clerk, for retracting said bar outwardly and'thus causing the cage to drop down into the safe.

Thus, as a convenient and eilicient means of effecting this function I provide the following mechanism.

11 is a bell crank lever whose angle is pivoted on the horizontal shaft 12. upper, which is preferably the longer, end of said lever is pivotally connected to the outer end of the bar 9 but with sufiicient looseness so that said bar will not bind in its horizontal sliding movement. The lower end of the lever 11 is pivotally connected to the upper end of a bent lever 13 whose verticalportion extends down in the rear of, the safe and whose horizontal portion ex device furnishes complete protection, and f is of thegreatest value for use in banks, jfilltlllClEtl institutions of all kinds, jewelry torcs, and in short under any circumstances tends forwardly under the safe and at its end in front of the safe is provided with an upwardly extending boss or foot treadle 14. The operating lever 13 is supported by a pair of slide bearings 15. 16 is a helical spring coiled about the operating lever 13 between the upper bearing 15 andthe head of said lever, thus tending to forcethe to hold the bar 9 in its inwardly extendedl position wherein it supports the cage B. i

17 'is a stout steel boxing which conceals and protects the operating mechanism justi' described and which is secured to back of the safe A in any convenient manner. The shaft 12 is journaled in said boxing andthe bearings 15 are carried thereby. f.

\ If desired the horizontal portion ofthe operating lever 18 may lead forwardly under the room 'fioor with the treadle extending inconspicuously up through a hole in the floor.

It is evident that the teller or other clerk, when attacked by robbers, may throw up his hands in apparent obedience to their commands, and at the same time step on the treadle, causing the cage to drop with itsf contents into the interior of the locked so, e, V

' shown as follows.

The

so placed that Means are provided for locking the cage in its dropped position, said means being 18 is a metalloop or keeper depending from the bottom of the cage and adapted to be engaged by a pivoted latch 19 mounted on the floor of the safe and held into engagement with said loop by means of a spring 20. It is evident that when the drops the latch will automatically engage the loop and lock the cage stationary. As a means for releasing said locking latch, I provide a short hand lever 21. pivoted to the tail of the latch and extending forwardly Within the safe, so that when, and only when, the safe door 1 has been unlocked and opened, the latchmay be released and the cage again elevated.

it is further important that an alarm,

preferably audible, be given when a robbery is attempted. Thus may provide an electric alarm bell 22 connected in circuit with a battery 23, or other source of electric current, and with two contact arms 24 and 25 within the safe and normally resiliently held apart but adapted to be compressed together to complete the circuit when the cage drops, thus giving the alarm.

For the sake of. convenience of illustration I have shown the bell and battery within the boxing 17, but it will be understood that such alarm bell may be placed at any point within the banking room or building, or in the headquarters of the police or protective agency. It is evident from the foregoing that my vhere money or other valuables must in the course of business be kept displayed and are herefore subject to robbery. i

In use my device may be placed at on V ide of the tellers window within theusual *e'llers cage, and the foot treadle'may' be the release may cooperated by the teller as he stands at the window. Although, forthe sake of 'clearness,

have minutely described. the embodii lent of my invention shown in he drawings, 1 do not wish to limit myself thereby, but claim:

1. In a protective device for the purposes described, the combination of a safe provided with an opening in its top, a counter board adapted when in its raised position to 'substantiallyoccupy said opening, a closure for said opening above said counter board and connected to the latter so as to move in unison therewith, means for securingsaid counter board in its raised position, and means for releasing said securing means whereby said counter board automatically drops by gravity within said safe and said closure seals said opening.

In a protective device for the purposes described, the combination of a safe prowhereby said counter board automatically drops by gravity within said safe and said closure seals said opening, and means for locking said closure in said opening.

3. In a protective device for the purposes described, the combination of a safe having a lockable door in its wall and an opening in its top, a counter board adapted when in its raised position to substantially occupy said opening, a closure for said opening above said counter board and connected to the latter so as to move in unison therewith, means for securing said counter board in its raised position, means for releasing said securing means whereby said counter board drops within said safe and said closure seals said opening, means for locking said closure in said opening, and means whereby said locking means may be released only when said safe door is opened.

4. In a protective device for the purposes described, the combination of a safe provided with an opening in its top, a counter board adapted when in its raised position to substantially occupy said opening, a closure for said opening above said counter board and connected to the latter so as to move in unison therewith, means for securing said counter board in its raised position,and foot actuated means for releasing said securing means whereby said counter board drops within said safe and said closure seals said opening.

5. In a protective device for the purposes described, the combination of a safe provided with a lockable door in its wall and an opening in'its top, a counter board adapted when inits raised position to substantially occupy said opening, a closure above said counter board and connected to the latter so as to move in unison therewith,

6. In a protective device for the purposes described, the combination of a safe provided with an opening in its top, a cage movable verticallyin relation to said opening, said cage being comprised of a bottomforming a counter board, a top forming a closure for said opening, and vertical walls connecting said top and bottom, one side of said cage being open, means for securing said cage in a raised position with the counter board substantially occupying said opening, and means whereby said cage automatically drops by gravity into the interior of said safe when said securing means are released, saidcounter board descending within said safe and said closure sealing said opening.

7. In a protective device for the purposes described, the combination of a safe provided with an opening in its top, a cage movable vertically in relation to said opening, said cage being comprised of a bottom forming a counter board, a top forming a closure for said opening andvertic'al walls connecting said top and bottom, one side of said cage being open, means for securing said cage in a raised position with the counter board substantially occupying said opening, means whereby said cage automatically drops by gravity into the interior of said safe when said securing means are released, said counter board descending within said safe and said closure sealing said opening, and means for locking said cage in its lowered position.

8. In a protective device for the purposes described, the combination of a safe provided with a lockable door in its wall and an opening in its top, a cage movable vertically in relation to said opening, said cage being comprised of a bottom forming a counter board, a top forming a closure and vertical walls connecting said top and bot-' tom, oneside of said cage being open, means for securing said cage in a raised position with the counter board substantially occupying said opening, means operated from without said safe for releasing said securing means whereby the cage drops,said counter board descending into said safe and said closure sealing said opening, means for looking said cage in its lowered position, and means whereby said locking means maybe released only when the safe door is opened. Signed at Pittsburgh, Pa, this 7th day of August, 1920. g

' JAMES F; ooLLiNs. 

